Outstanding post, Chris! Thanks for this. I agree that these are professional conferences and we can’t look past that or get lost in the fact that it’s not 100% “patient-centered.” I’m all about making sure the docs see the patient side, at some point. And that the info is translated to the PWD, so that we’re not being viewed as a “textbook” patient who just can’t fit what the high science seems to dictate. Too many docs don’t get that, whether it’s at a professional conference or back in their own offices where they’re seeing patients.

Most of the time period you were at ADA, I was at MY professional conference to talk about what I do. We don’t invite the audience that we serve either. Because it is for us. Because we need to talk about what we do. Can our audience attend? Sure. Some do. Could they have something unique to contribute to the discussion? Sure. But it is a professional organization, an organization to which we pay dues, it is not designed for everyone.